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# Gaming disorder and other behavioral addictions

- Disorder

When gaming or another activity escapes control and harms daily life for a long time; only gambling and gaming have firm diagnoses.

Updated Nov 13, 2026

## Key points

- Gambling disorder is an official diagnosis in both DSM-5 (substance-related and addictive disorders) and ICD-11 (disorders due to addictive behaviours).
- ICD-11 recognizes gaming disorder (online or offline); DSM-5 keeps internet gaming disorder in its section of conditions for further study.
- ICD-11 core features of gaming disorder: impaired control, increasing priority over other activities, and continuing despite negative consequences.
- Only a small proportion of people who play video games develop gaming disorder (about 1–3%, under 1% in better studies); high involvement is not a disorder.
- ADHD, mood and anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with problematic gaming and need assessment and treatment.
- ICD-11 places compulsive sexual behaviour disorder among impulse control disorders, not addictive behaviours, because evidence for an addiction model was not strong.

## What it is

A behavioral addiction is a pattern in which a rewarding activity, not a substance, is pursued with loss of control and continues despite harm. ICD-11 places gambling disorder and gaming disorder in its grouping of disorders due to addictive behaviours; gaming disorder requires impaired control, gaming taking priority over other interests and activities and continuation despite harm, normally for at least 12 months, with significant impairment. DSM-5 includes gambling disorder among substance-related and addictive disorders but lists internet gaming disorder only among conditions for further study. Other proposed addictions, such as problematic social media use or compulsive sexual behaviour, are debated; ICD-11 places compulsive sexual behaviour disorder among impulse control disorders.

## Key facts

- Problem gaming shows reward-system changes resembling those in gambling and substance use disorders; loot boxes and microtransactions are linked to gambling-like behaviour.
- Impairment is the threshold: time spent gaming alone does not define the disorder.
- In one study about 60% of people diagnosed had a different diagnosis a year later, so labelling should be careful.
- Treatment research is still limited; cognitive behavioral therapy has the best trial support, and family therapy is also used.

## Behavioral addictions and how the classifications treat them

| Behavior | ICD-11 | State of evidence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Gambling](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/gambling-disorder/) | Disorder due to addictive behaviour | Strongest; also an official DSM-5 diagnosis; most programmes use CBT |
| Gaming | Disorder due to addictive behaviour (since 2019) | Growing; about 1–3% of people; DSM-5 lists it for further study |
| Compulsive sexual behaviour | Impulse control disorder | Debated whether it is an addiction |
| Social media use | Not in the addictive behaviours grouping | Studied as a related problem; overlaps only partly with gaming disorder |
| Online shopping, pornography use | Not in the addictive behaviours grouping | Research interest; evidence limited |

## Clinical notes

- Assess the pattern (control, priority, harm, duration) and its effects on sleep, school or work, family and mood rather than counting hours.
- Screen for ADHD and for mood and anxiety disorders, which often come with problematic gaming.
- Use motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral techniques: monitoring, limits agreed with the person, replacing activities and handling triggers.
- With children and adolescents, involve the family, agree rules on devices and sleep, and avoid shaming.

## Memory aid

Gaming disorder is CPH for a year: Control lost, Priority over life, Harm ignored, for about twelve months.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Which behavioral addiction is an official diagnosis in both DSM-5 and ICD-11?

Gambling disorder.

## How does DSM-5 classify internet gaming disorder?

As a condition for further study, not as an official diagnosis; ICD-11, by contrast, lists gaming disorder as a diagnosis.

## What are the three core ICD-11 features of gaming disorder?

Impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities, and continuing despite negative consequences, with significant impairment.

## Which psychiatric conditions should be looked for in a teenager with problematic gaming?

ADHD, mood disorders such as depression, and anxiety disorders.

[Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/behavioral-science/gaming-disorder-and-other-behavioral-addictions/)

## Elsewhere in DurgiPedia

- [The limbic system, emotion and reward](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/the-limbic-system-emotion-and-reward/)

## Connections

## Related 6

- [Addiction concepts: reward, tolerance, dependence and withdrawal](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/addiction-concepts-reward-tolerance-dependence-and-withdrawal/)
- [Intermittent explosive disorder, kleptomania and pyromania](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/intermittent-explosive-disorder-kleptomania-and-pyromania/)
- [Schedules of reinforcement](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/schedules-of-reinforcement/)
- [Operant conditioning: reinforcement and punishment](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/operant-conditioning-reinforcement-and-punishment/)
- [Cognitive behavioral therapy and cognitive distortions](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-and-cognitive-distortions/)
- [Adolescence: development and the HEADSSS interview](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/adolescence-development-and-the-headsss-interview/)

## Related conditions 5

- [Gambling disorder](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/gambling-disorder/)
- [Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/)
- [Major depressive disorder](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/major-depressive-disorder/)
- [Generalized anxiety disorder](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/generalized-anxiety-disorder/)
- [Insomnia disorder](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/insomnia-disorder/)

[← All of behavioral science](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/)

Educational content on behavior and the clinical relationship; not a diagnostic or treatment guide and no substitute for assessment by a health professional. If you or someone near you is at risk, seek help now from an emergency service or a mental-health helpline.

Sources: [Addictive behaviours: Gaming disorder](https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/addictive-behaviours-gaming-disorder) (World Health Organization (WHO), 2020); [Gaming disorder in the ICD-11: the state of the game](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12640003/) (BMC Psychiatry (PubMed Central), 2025); [Emerging experience with selected new categories in the ICD-11: complex PTSD, prolonged grief disorder, gaming disorder, and compulsive sexual behaviour disorder](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9077619/) (World Psychiatry (PubMed Central), 2022); [Longitudinal Assessment of a Manualized Group Treatment Program for Gambling Disorder: The Ohio Problem Gambling Treatment Model for Adults with Co-Occurring Disorders](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9653369/) (Journal of Gambling Studies (PubMed Central), 2022).

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